Events

This is an online meeting only: Join by registering here. This registration covers both events.

Who Pays the Piper? Wills and Testaments of Scottish Musicians 1513-1800 / 9 a.m. EST

Presenter: Robert Urquhart

Family historians sometimes think wills and testaments were only made by the wealthy, but many were registered in Scottish courts for people of “small estate,” including pipers and other musicians. This presentation uses such examples to explain the terminology of wills and testaments and show how these records reveal details of the lives and families of pipers, drummers, trumpeters, minstrels, and others.

Robert Urquhart is a retired archivist from Fife. He worked in local archives in Glasgow and Ayrshire, before joining the National Archives of Scotland (now the National Records of Scotland), where for 20 years he specialized in opening up access to archives via the Internet. He was involved in making record series like wills and testaments, tax rolls, valuation rolls and kirk session records available online, and coaching researchers on how to read early-modern records via the Scottish Handwriting website (at www.scottishhandwriting.com). He now runs Abbotshall Palaeography (www.abbotshall.net), a small business offering palaeography tuition and transcription services. Robert's recently released book, "Arran Rentals and related Records, 1576-1780,” includes a reference to the commissary court executry practice, particularly with respect to contentious executries and the process papers that go with them. 

“It All Started with Some Buttons… Looking for a Stewart Piper” / 10 a.m. EST

Presenter: Susan Reany Iskra

While visiting family in England some years ago, Susan Reany Iskra was shown a set of buttons and told of a connection to a Stewart piper at Drummond Castle. These buttons were the starting point for a research journey that Susan will be sharing in her presentation as she speaks about her search, the processes and some of the resources she used, and what she was able to learn about this piper in 19th century Scotland. 

Susan Reany Iskra lives in Dryden, Ontario, and has pursued her genealogical interests for over 20 years. She is a member of the Dryden Genealogical Society and regularly makes presentations to the group as well as participating in ‘Ask A Genealogist’ sessions at the local library. She’s a member of OGS, Simcoe Branch and the Scottish SIG, and also belongs to BIFGHSO (British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa). Her roots are in the United Kingdom and her research has been mostly focused on Scotland; she has travelled to Edinburgh to do research there.  

Drop-in Chat Thursday, 15 January 9:00 – 11:30 a.m. EST

Want to chat over a coffee and sweet treat with BIFHSGO friends?

Drop in to The White Pine Café at Arlington Woods Church 225 McClellan Road, off Greenbank Road. 

This is an online meeting only: Join by registering here. This registration covers both events.

Exploring Pictures with AI: the Good and the Bad / 9 a.m. EST

Presenter: Paul Cripwell

You’ve acquired a picture of an object, scene, or ancestor but have no idea of its location or timeframe. How do you find out? Ask AI! That seems to be the answer to everything these days. But how do you know if the information you get back is accurate? Paul Cripwell will walk you through the explorations he conducted on some of his own pictures—what AI got right, what it got wrong, and how he figured it out.

Paul Cripwell began his family history journey after retiring from NavCanada in 2018. Since then, he has encountered a flood of new databases, software, and research methods—and, fortunately, he’s no stranger to steep learning curves. His latest challenge is exploring how AI can be applied to genealogy. The possibilities seem endless.

Rain-Soaked Roots: Weather Shaped the Lives of Our British Isles Ancestors / 10 a.m. EST

Presenter: John Reid

Weather touched every part of our ancestors’ lives—from daily chores under rainy skies to celebrations on sunny summer days, from mild seasons that brought good harvests to the storms that forced people to adapt or move on. This talk explores how both ordinary and extreme weather shaped life across the UK, Ireland and beyond. Drawing on official records, newspapers, and personal diaries, John will trace how weather influenced work, health, migration, and memory, revealing a layer of family history often overlooked.

Dr John D Reid, a son of Norfolk, enjoyed a 31-year career with Canada's Meteorological Service and has now been researching and writing about family history for almost as long. Since 2006, he has blogged almost daily at Canada's Anglo-Celtic Connections, an online resource for those tracing British and Canadian roots. A past president of BIFHSGO, a member of Ancestry.ca's advisory Board, and a past chair of the City of Ottawa Arts, Heritage and Culture Advisory Committee, he has authored articles in Canadian and UK magazines and journals and lectured internationally. His family history research has uncovered direct ancestors who were teachers, a motor mechanic, a WW2 prisoner of war, musicians, a Church of England Minister, a Rabbi, shopkeepers, a sergeant in the US Army, a cigar maker, a teenage coal miner, numerous homemakers, and loads of AgLabs. Perhaps, if some unrecorded event doesn't break the chain, also an Astronomer Royal of Portugal.

This is a hybrid meeting:

• Join us in person at Knox Presbyterian Church (Lisgar & Elgin) in Geneva Hall. Please use the Garden Entrance on Elgin Street. Limited free street parking is available on Saturdays, and the City Hall Parking Garage is available for $2.00.
• Join online by registering here.

. This registration covers both events.

Tips for Using FamilySearch's Full Text Search

Presenter: Ken McKinlay

The application of AI-driven handwriting recognition technology in FamilySearch's search has opened up the records to genealogy and family history researchers in ways we couldn't have imagined just a few years ago. In the past, we would consider ourselves fortunate if we came across a collection where the principal names had been indexed. Now, practically all the names and words in many digitized collections have been indexed for us. Ken will provide us with some tips and tricks to help us find those previously overlooked or hard to find records on FamilySearch.

Embarking on a genealogical adventure over two decades ago, Ken McKinlay's quest began with a mission to confirm or debunk three family stories. Despite uncovering the truths behind those initial tales, Ken's passion for delving into his family's past remains steadfast, fueled by a constant stream of new questions. As a sought-after speaker by branches of Ontario Ancestors, the British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa, and other genealogy societies across Canada, Ken McKinlay shares his expertise through engaging talks and workshops. His topics have included researching those who have fought for Canada in the world wars, exploring the Canadian censuses, delving into the mysteries of Ontario Land Records, and an eight part series covering "Back to Basics" research for the British Isles. In 2025 he made his debut with Legacy Family Tree Webinars with his talk "Exploring Library and Archives Canada Online". His presentations also focus on genealogical methodologies and overcoming genealogy brick walls. Beyond public speaking, Ken shares his insights on his blog, Family Tree Knots (https://familytreeknots.blogspot.com/), providing a valuable resource for fellow enthusiasts.